The 20th Century-Fox Hour (TV Series) Operation Cicero (1956) User Reviews

A spy can never be trusted, nor can he trust

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 2 June 2002]

Excellent little one hour drama from the Hour of Stars about a British embassy worker who steals top secret documents strictly for profit. Things go well in his operation until the Allies get wise to a leak and he must flee fearing Allied prosecution or Axis assassination. Very enjoyable production with a smoothly done finale. As always Montalban gives a commendable performance.

Very well-done spy thriller

[suchenwi · 8/10 · 26 April 2009]

I ran upon this little TV film (less than 44 minutes) on archive.org, and out of curiosity downloaded it to my cell phone.

A week passed, and there were so many other films to watch. Finally, late Sunday night, I picked this because it wouldn't run much past midnight. And I was very positively impressed.. the setting, the details of espionage work, the suspense in the extended Ankara-to-Istanbul chase (even with a few train scenes)...

This isn't Murder on the Orient Express, or From Moscow With Love. But it gave me good production value (good old Peter Lorre, too), and an uplifting (though very cynical) ending which made me feel like in a French adventure comedy. Really enjoyable, even as I was just born the year it came out.

The spy with five fingers.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 19 January 2022]

A TV version of the 1952 20th Century Fox espionage film noir "Five Fingers", this stars Peter Lorre and Ricardo Montalban, and is a rare chance to see Maria Riva, the daughter of the legendary Marlene Dietrich. It's also rare opportunity to see Montalban in a villain role, playing a Nazi spy who is working as a valet for the British ambassador played by Alan Napier, although why a Nazi would have a Spanish accent is questionable. It turns out there's more to his story. Lorre, Leon Askin and Edouard Franz are Montalban's cohorts, although the later two have about as much footage as thesecond billed Lorre does. Riva is a famous star whom Montalban once worked for, and now romances.

A complex, intelligent adult drama, well-acted and full of surprises, based on a film now considered a classic yet not as well-known as other Fox classics. Riva certainly is her mother's daughter, although she is a bit more accessible and less stiff and her mother could be on screen sometimes. Lorre by this time, whether playing villain or red herring or supporting role, came off as a comical buffoon, and it was often difficult to take him seriously. He's always fun to watch though. Montalban is so suave and debonair and handsome that you just don't want him to be a Nazi, and I found myself keeping my fingers crossed that there would be twists towards the end to alter that little detail. Probably one of the better Fox Cavalcade of stars because it takes a story that can be edited down easily and retains enough details to keep it intriguing.